About a month has passed since this spectacular event and, having read
various posts, I've had time to reflect on the diverse comments made.

As an attendee, my $250 was money well spent.  For the price of a nice
dinner out with my wife, I received three days of solid entertainment,
one final viewing of a truly fabulous museum collection, and a chance
to observe how a really classy auction house operates and treats its
clientele.  Not to mention getting a world-class souvenir (the large
catalog) that will enhance my reference library.

The prices of items I could properly relate to, such as music boxes and
clocks, were way out of my bidding range.  But as a collector and
dealer, I maintain that the prices realized justify what I have said
for years: that mechanical music instruments are under-priced and
someday will greatly appreciate.

Perhaps this was a watershed event.  It was quite evident at the
auction that many attendees were looking for a Milhous trophy piece.
Indeed, I observed some bidders simply holding their bid paddles up in
the air while chatting with their friends.  They paid little or no
attention to competing bids or their final cost.

Anybody can sell at or below market value; the true job of a sales
representative is to sell above the going rate.  For this, I
congratulate the auction house for their remarkable expertise.

Raphael Cole